Beige Lunch

August 1, 2006...With nearly 200 other lucky folks, I heard Leon Panetta speak at Graves 601 today. He gave a great speech, but that's not the story. The story is Beige Lunch.

We were served a 100% Beige Lunch: beige-not-golden-roasted free range chicken (excellent -- I wanted to hug the chicken), beautifully thin-sliced potatoes baked in a slurry of yummy butter, and a pile of perfectly sauteed mushrooms. All beige. Not one single sprig or leaf of parsley. Beige. Beige. Beige.

After lunch, I politely inquired about this beige-ness -- it might, after all, have been a kitchen crisis in which the dog ate the parsley or the produce buyer was kidnapped by space aliens. A friendly server who admitted that she was inordinately fond of beige herself, said, yes, the food was beige on purpose. The hotel has a minimalist style that flows all the way through to the food. She did say that if I were to hold an event, that I could ask for green vegetables and parsley sprinkles and she hinted that the chef would comply.

I also asked if there were a pink lunch or some other color or non-color of monochrome lunch. She thought not.

In any event, it was a free (many thanks to sponsor Fleishmann-Hillard), so I'm not complaining.

Potato and Pea Curry: thank you, Madhur Jaffrey

Madhur Jaffrey’s curries to kebabs:recipes from the Indian Spice Trail is the best kind of cookbook. In the first 34 pages, she writes about “Indian Food around the world: a background” – long enough for the history and culture vultures, but not so long that it takes away from the recipes. Each chapter has begins with an illuminating essay, so cooks and readers are transported on their approach to meats, poultry and eggs, fish & seafood, vegetables, dals, beans and split peas, kebabs and soups, rice, noodles and breads, and relishes and accompaniments. The heading of every recipe has a story – giving context to flavor. Don’t be surprised if you want to make every single dish.

Potato & Pea Curry -- try this one. It taps three skills: measuring, stirring and chopping potatoes. It will work during the spring with new red potatoes, in the summer with farmer’s market tomatoes, and in the winter with supermarket potatoes and tomato paste. It is sweet and hot, with the smoky taste of cumin. Serve this hot, cold or at room temperature. If, as a child, you loved mixing Campbell’s Tomato and Pea Soups to make Puree Mongol, and wondered if it could get any better, the answer is “yes.” This is it.

Cook’s notes:
1. Madhur Jaffrey adds a pinch of ground asafetida to the whole spices. I haven’t had any.
2. When you can get them, use fresh tomatoes, otherwise use 1/3 of a can of tomato paste. Divide the rest into equal size blobs, wrap and store in the freezer.
3. Although probably wildly untraditional, you may substitute frozen corn for the peas.

Whole spices:

½ tsp whole brown mustard seed
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
½ tsp dried chili flakes
[generous pinch of ground asafetida: optional]

Dry spices

½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
3 T peanut oil
1 pound red potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cups frozen peas (or frozen corn)
1 cup water
1-1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 pound (2-3 medium) tomatoes, grated, or 2 oz tomato paste plus ½ cup of water

1. Put the whole spices in one small dish; put the ground spices in another small dish.
2. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet with a lid. When it’s hot, add the whole spices. Stir until the mustard seeds pop, and add the potatoes, stirring to coat with the spices. Using tongs, lay the potato pieces cut side down. Cook until one side is brown and crispy. Turn and brown a second side.
3. Add the ground spices and stir to coat the potatoes. Add the peas or corn. Add 1 cup of water and 1 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the cover, add the tomatoes and the remaining ½ tsp of salt, or the tomato paste and ½ cup of water (no extra salt is necessary).
5. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

July 2006

Thai-ish Cucumber Salad

1. Infinitely expandable
2. Infinitely flexible
3. Really really easy
4. Even works with semi-tired winter cucumbers
5. And -- a bonus! An opportunity to practice or show off your insanely excellent knife skills
This was inspired by a recipe from David Rosengarten's food newsletter, a cucumber salad that my friends Marc and Elyana Tarlow first made for me in the early 1980s from Annemarie Huste's Annemarie's Cooking School Cookbook, and the fact that I'm always looking for new ways to practice my knife skills. With a sharp knife and a spoon, this recipe is a snap.
*****

INGREDIENTS

Three large cucumbers
¼ cup Red Pepper (or other flavor) Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon (or more) toasted sesame seeds (optional, but gives a nice crunch)
1 small carrot from which to make 2 T carrot brunoise* -- teeny, tiny carrot cubes (optional, but looks great)

1. Sesame seeds: Toast them in a small, hot pan. Watch carefully -- they will pop out of the pan like popcorn, and burn quickly. Remove from the pan and let them cool.

2. Cucumbers: Peel, slice in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, a melon ball scoop or a tiny cookie scoop. Cut in thin diagonal slices.

3. Dressing: Combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, optional toasted sesame seeds, and carrot brunoise* in a bowl. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the cucumbers.

4. *Brunoise: At last! A dramatic opportunity to practice or show off your insanely excellent knife skills
Cut two or three very thin planks of raw carrot. Cut the thin planks into tiny matchsticks. Cut the matchsticks into teeny, tiny cubes – 3mm or less for correct brunoise. 

5. Serving: While you may certainly serve it immediately, this salad benefits from an hour in the refrigerator. After that, serve it cold or at room temperature. This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
6. Safe for travel and fun! Because it has no mayo, this is a great salad for picnics and outdoor events.